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Growing Up Emotionally                                                      173

was almost worthwhile. During their separation they grew greatly
in their knowledge of each other and of themselves. They now
can face together the grief of the loss of their daughter. Their sec-
ond marriage, they say, is far better than their first.

Kate and Joe Mason, who were younger than the Crawfords,
were even more emotionally immature. The Masons had been
married for only three years when they came to the Institute; Kate
was twenty-two; Joe was two years older. An unusually pretty girl,
Kate seemed almost as unsure of herself as Georgia Crawford. And
she, too, complained that her husband was a blowhard and a show-
off. Her voice was tense as she launched upon her story:

Last Saturday at a formal party, Joe nearly drove me out of my
mind. The hosts were older people and only slight acquaintances
of ours. As usual Joe breezed into their house on Cloud Seven. Just
as the after-dinner coffee was served, there was a little lull in the
conversation. Joe took care of it by demonstrating he could chin
himself twenty times on the overhead beams. He dared the other
men to try. Naturally, all of them refused. Joe then shook hands
with himself like a circus strong man and took a lot of deep bows
as though he'd performed a miracle. Everybody laughed at k™~
The other wives looked out of the comer of their eyes to see how
I was reacting. I was so mortified I had to leave tie room. Perhaps
I am too sensitive and thin-skinned, but with Joe around I eairt
help it. For half an hour I stayed in an upstairs bedroom wishing
I was single again.
Other girls* husbands don't act like mine. Everybody we know—
although they're too polite to say so—thinks Fna married to a char-
acter. Some of them think Joe is a phony, which he isn't Joe is
talented at lots of thingp, but he blows his own horn and lets on
he's twice as good.